ALBUQUERQUE — Colorado's concerns about tonight's battle with Baylor at The Pit in the NCAA Tournament's round of 32 were summed up concisely by Buffaloes coach Tad Boyle. It took him all of one sentence.

"If you make a mistake against Baylor, it's a dunk," Boyle said Friday.

Those watching the respective teams get off the bus may wonder how on earth the 11th-seeded Buffaloes (24-11) can hope to stand up to Baylor's size and length.

The third-seeded Bears (28-7) start a frontline of 6-foot-11 Perry Jones III, 6-9 Quincy Miller and 6-7 Quincy Acy, who happens to be the strongest and best dunker of the trio. That's not all. Baylor brings 6-10 Anthony Jones and 6-9 Cory Jefferson off the bench.

Colorado counters with 6-9 senior Austin Dufault, 6-7 André Roberson and three guards. At least the springy Roberson, one of the nation's top rebounders, plays taller than he is.

"We just have to play smart," Dufault said. "They have a lot of guys that want to come in and block shots and stuff like that. We've just got to make good decisions when we attack the basket and be able to knock down shots when we have them.

"Defensively, we've just got to play physical, box out and clear out space with our box-outs, and I think we'll be OK."

Tonight's winner advances to Friday's South Regional semifinal in Atlanta, the Sweet 16. Colorado and Baylor only had to go back to last year to get tape of a game between each other, a 70-66 Bears win in Waco, Texas, during CU's final tour of the Big 12 Conference.

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Both teams have different players and new tweaks, however, and Boyle hopes his team has an advantage in the quick turnaround from Thursday's games, because the Pac-12 regular-season schedule has a Thursday-Saturday format, while Big 12 teams usually play on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

To prepare for the possibility that CU would get by UNLV in the opening round, Boyle had his assistants begin working on scouting reports for the first two games as soon as the bracket was announced Sunday.

Assistant coach Mike Rohn was responsible for the scouting report of UNLV, assistant coach Jean Prioleau had Baylor and assistant coach Tom Abatemarco formulated a plan for South Dakota State in the event the Jackrabbits upset Baylor.

"I think our players are used to the Thursday-Saturday turnaround," Boyle said, "so our guys are very good at digesting the game plan on a very short turnaround like we have right here."

Colorado has not reached the Sweet 16 of an NCAA Tournament since 1963, when the field included only 25 teams and it only took one victory to accomplish that.

CU also hopes the effects of Albuquerque's elevation (slightly higher than a mile high) works in the Buffs' favor. But it will take another sound defensive effort by Colorado, which limited UNLV to 32.4 percent shooting.

Baylor coach Scott Drew expects hands in the faces of his shooters.

"Tad has always prided himself on trying to instill a good defensive team, and he's done a remarkable job up there, especially with the turnover from last year's team to having a young group and getting them to play as hard defensively as they've been doing," he said.

This much is certain: Colorado couldn't simulate Baylor's length during Friday's practice.

"We've challenged our guys to be physical," Boyle said. "If you get into a jumping contest, we're going to lose. We've just got to get bodies on them defensively in the post. ... My whole thing is to make them work for everything they get."

Colorado vs. Baylor, 6:40 p.m. tonight, TNT , KOA 850AM

Key matchup

Colorado's André Roberson vs. Baylor's Perry Jones III:

As Colorado coach Tad Boyle points out, it's unusual for the 6-foot-7 Roberson to be matched against a forward who is just as athletic and 4 inches taller. Jones is perceived as an "underachiever" by many, and there is no denying that he is plagued by inconsistency. But he is capable of showing the potential of an NBA lottery pick — as he did in last week's Big 12 Tournament with 31 points against Kansas State and then outplaying Kansas' national player-of-the-year candidate Thomas Robinson. Roberson blocks a lot of shots, but in this case, he must do a better job of staying strong and blocking out Jones. That hasn't been Roberson's strength.

Up high

Colorado's three-guard lineup of seniors Carlon Brown and Nate Tomlinson and freshman Spencer Dinwiddie have been taking good care of the basketball — until Thursday night, that is, when the Buffs committed a season-high 23 turnovers. Baylor coach Scott Drew has enviable depth in the frontcourt, but at times the most successful lineup has employed three guards, with regulars Pierre Jackson and Brady Heslip joined by former starter A.J. Walton. Jackson, last year's national junior college player of the year, is a handful, able to hit 3-pointers and also drive the lane. To slow Jackson, CU will count on another sound defensive effort from Tomlinson, who has been terrific at staying between the ballhandler and the basket.

Down low

Baylor starts a frontcourt of 6-11 Jones, 6-9 Quincy Miller and 6-7 Quincy Acy. And it's the senior Acy who may have Colorado most concerned. At 235 pounds, Acy is easily Baylor's most physical player on the block. This will be a difficult matchup for the Buffs, but it also could be a challenge for Baylor. The Bears' 2-3 zone, like any of that formation, has a weakness in the area around the free-throw line. That's often where CU's 6-9 Austin Dufault and the 6-7 Roberson seem to work best.

Off the bench

Colorado got a game-high 16 points Thursday night from freshman Askia Booker, who converted all four of his free throws and went 2-for-3 on 3-pointers. But few teams have the depth of Baylor, which has former starters Walton and 6-10 Anthony Jones as super subs, and freshman guard Deuce Bello has huge potential. Baylor's second team is talented enough to beat many teams in the NCAA Tournament.

The coaches

Colorado's Tad Boyle is quickly becoming a household name, having guided the Buffs to a school-record 24 victories in each of his two seasons in Boulder. Drew also has the reputation as a program-builder, having led Baylor to its seventh NCAA Tournament in his 10 years. College basketball analysts may be watching closely at this matchup to see which coach gets a leg up in national reputation.

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